Exemplary embodiments herein generally relate to a harness assembly for a vehicle having a load-carrying bed, and, more particularly, to a harness assembly for passing a wire harness from a vehicle body to a dual-mode tailgate.
Dual-mode tailgates for vehicles having a load-carrying bed are generally known. “Dual-mode” refers to the two directions or pivot axes along which the dual-mode tailgate is openable. More particularly, a dual-mode tailgate includes a dual-action hinge which allows the tailgate to be selectively openable in a first, fold-down direction about a first axis generally parallel with a bottom edge of the tailgate similar to the conventional tailgate. The dual-action hinge also allows the tailgate to be selectively openable in a second, side-to-side direction about a second axis generally parallel with a lateral edge of the tailgate.
Known vehicles having the dual-action hinge for a tailgate typically pass a wire harness or wires from the vehicle body to the tailgate through a large rubber grommet. The rubber grommet requires a large body section to secure it to the vehicle body. Additionally, the rubber grommet inflates the wire bundle diameter, which, in turn, requires a large clearance area during operation of the tailgate in both the first, fold-down direction and the second, side-to-side direction. As such, the current method for routing a wire harness through a dual-action hinge either has a significant impact to the surrounding parts and/or is not reliable enough for safety related functionality.